The Portal
by Taiya
Summary: Alyz finds a silver necklace and falls into the Yu-Gi-Oh world. PG-13 for language (It really doesn't deserve that rating but I can't just keep it at PG :S). Not a Mary-Sue. Ryou/OC, Joey/? No Yaoi. ::CHAPTER 10 UP!!!:: R
1. Coffee and Rabid British Guys

(Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, in case you haven't noticed. I don't own Yugi, Bakura, Joey, Tristen, Tea, or any of the other characters aside from my own. I don't own any of the duelling cards aside from my own. I don't own any terms relating to anything that's not mine. Get the picture? I hope so.)  
  
(OOC: I know it sounds pretty Mary-Sueish at the beginning, but it WILL get better! The millenium sphere is not the same kind of millenium item belonging to Yugi or Bakura. It's actually one of three millenium portals that exist in our world, and the owner does not necessarily have a Yami because of one. The 'little voice' is the item itself talking, and it has no way of taking control of one's body.)  
  
(OOC: EERRRRRRRGH!!! Stupid italics not working!!!! sorry .! You'll have to pretend the //'s are italics, instead)  
  
  
  
  
  
Alyz raised one eyebrow, taking a sip of coffee. She pulled a long strand of red hair back behind one ear, examining her two cards thoughtfully. She had been making her deck of Yu-Gi-Oh cards for the last two hours. Now it was down to the last two cards, and she was torn between the Roaring Ocean Snake (2100/1700), or a magic card called Sword of Deep-Seated (which raised a monster's attack and defense points by 500).  
  
Alyz sighed, taking another sip. It was almost midnight, and she was still undecided. "Hell with it!" she said, throwing both cards into her stack. She shuffled it once for good measure, drank the remainder of her coffee and headed downstairs to put her mug in the dishwasher.  
  
"Ahem!" she heard her mother say. Alyz plastered on a large, false smile, turning around and slipping the dishwasher closed behind her back.  
  
"Hey, mom..." she said. Her mother frowned. She had the same auburn hair as her daughter, except that while Alyz' was long and curly, her mother's was short and considerably straighter. They both stood at 5'6", although Alyz insisted that she would yet grow taller than her mother. They both had the same pointy nose and large amber eyes. Alyz' mother was plump with age, but her daughter retained her slim, attractive figure.  
  
"Was that a coffee mug?" her mother demanded. Alyz grinned helplessly.  
  
"Um, no... I mean, yes! It was a coffee mug... but I wasn't drinking coffee! It was.... uh... l-l-l-llllemonade! That's it, I got thirsty and decided to have a nice cup-er, mug-of lemonade!" Alyz grimaced as she realized how stupid she sounded.  
  
"Alyz! How many times have I told you to stop drinking coffee? It's very bad for you! And especially before bed! How are you supposed to sleep not that you're all pumped full of cafiene?!" her mother shouted. "Fourteen year old girls should not be drinking coffee! How many people your age do you know that drink coffee?"  
  
Alyz rolled her eyes. "Mom, everyone my age drinks coffee!" she protested. Her mother scowled and folded her arms angrily, shaking her head. "Go to bed! And if that caffiene keeps you up all night long, let it be a lesson to you!" Alyz sighed, slowly trudging back upstairs. She flopped down on her bed, closing her eyes slowly. Then she opened them again and got up so that she could get changed into her pajamas. After she had changed, she went back to her bed, but something caught her eye. Something on her desk was glowing with a faint silvery aura. She swung her legs over the bed, then walked over to the desk cautiously.  
  
Rummaging through piles of paper and stacks of old homework that her seventh grade math teacher still thought her dog had eaten, Alyz searched for the source of the strange light. Finally, she withdrew a small silver ball, about two inches spherical. Alyz picked it up, realizing that it was bound to a chain of sterling. Alyz picked it up, and was surprised to find it weighed as though it was a lead brick.  
  
"Where did this come from?" Alyz asked herself, turning it over in her hands. She noticed a strange marking on it. It was a large eye, of chiseled diamond. It was in the style of an Egyptian heiroglyph. It was from this symbol that the glow seemed to be radiating from.  
  
"It is kind of pretty, though," Alyz said, placing the chain around her neck. The glow subsided. "Strange," she mumbled. Alyz shrugged and went back to her bed. "It looks kind of like the millenium eye on Yugi's puzzle," she mused, thinking of her favorite TV show.  
  
/It's not a puzzle. It is the millenium sphere, and it is connected to the portal./  
  
Alyz started. Who said that? And what was a millenium sphere anyways? "Well apparently, it's whatever this thing is," she said to herself with a chuckle. "It would be great if this was an actual millenium item from Yu-Gi- Oh. I wish I could live in their world, and play duel monsters and stuf," Alyz laughed out loud. "Hah! That would be great!"  
  
She crawled into the covers, closing her eyes and smiling. She ran her fingers over the sphere, which was resting heavily on her chest. "I could drink all the coffee I want!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Ouch," Alyz said. Sitting up, she felt cold earth beneath her, and a rock was jutting out of the ground where she had been lying. She was surrounded by tall coniferous trees, in what appeared to be a forest. "Where the hell am I?" she asked out loud.  
  
/On the other side./  
  
Other side of what? Alyz stood up shakily, brushing off her long, mint green coat. Coat? Hadn't she gone to bed in her pajamas? Looking down at herself, Alyz gasped. She was wearing clothes she had never seen before; a navy-colored halter top with a low V-neck and dark flared blue jeans. The only item she was wearing was the necklace, 'millenium sphere', she had found on her dresser.  
  
"What the hell?!" she exclaimed, thrusting her hands into the pockets of the coat. But her right hand felt somehow different. She held it up to look and found that she was wearing a blue glove framed with a metal cuff.  
  
Her left hand found in its possession the deck of duelling cards she had been sorting out only a few hours ago. The cards looked slightly different, but they were definitely hers. "Now, this is beyond freaky," she said, looking once more around her. Though it had been in the middle of the night when she had fallen asleep, it seemed to be early evening here. "Wherever 'here' is," Alyz muttered angrily. This place was not somewhere she had ever seen before.  
  
Suddenly, it hit her. This was all a dream. All a strange, realistic dream in which she had been transported into another world. "The Yu-Gi-Oh world, judging by my deck and the glove," Alyz reassured herself. "It's only a dream, and I'm bound to wake up sooner or later." She hugged herself fiercely, protecting her body against the icy breeze. She had never had a dream like this before.  
  
/It's not a dream. You were brought through the portal./  
  
"Excuse me," a British voice asked. Alyz spun around, facing a boy about her age. He had long, nearly white, hair that reached his mid-back. He wore a yellow sweater and jeans. A golden ring encrusted with the millenium eye hung from a chain around his neck.  
  
"Bakura!" Alyz exclaimed. Bakura gave her a strange look.  
  
"How do you know my name?" he asked. Alyz smiled. It was odd, but she felt strangely attracted to the lanky-looking figure.  
  
"I watch you on the TV, five days a week."  
  
Bakura's look did not change. "You watch me on TV?"  
  
"Yes, on Yu-Gi-Oh. It's my favourite show," Alyz said, toying impatiently with the sphere. All her other dream characters seemed to know why she knew them. This dream really was different. "Must have been the caffiene," Alyz said under her breath.  
  
"Caffiene?"  
  
Alyze stared at Bakura. He really didn't /look/ like a dream character. But, then again, none of them really did. "Um, yes. Sorry, my name is Alyz. I know it sounds like 'Alice', but it's actually spelled with a 'y' and a 'z'."  
  
"Excuse me, then, Alyz, but what is that around your neck?" he inquired, pointing towards the sphere. Alize took it in her hands, examining it.  
  
"I don't really know. I found it last night," she said, truthfully. Bakura nodded, but it didn't look like he had heard what she had said. He was staring intently upon the sphere, and his fingers were reaching towards it. Alyz felt uneasy, although she didn't know why. Suddenly, Bakura reached out and grabbed the sphere, yanking it fiercely. The chain did not break, and Alyz was jolted forward. Bakura's eyes gleamed with something that Alyz couldn't quite describe.  
  
"Give it to me!" He said in a different voice. He grabbed her arm with his other hand. Alyz tried to pull back, but his grip was too strong.  
  
"Let go of me!" Alyz shouted. Bakura pulled on the necklace, and Alyz felt the back of her neck burn as the chain cut into it.  
  
"Give me the portal!" Bakura repeated angrily, his fingers pressing harder into her arm. Alyz screamed. Kicking him firmly in the shin. She finally broke from his grasp, falling backwards to land-  
  
/Open!/  
  
-safely in her bed at home. It was night again, and Alyz was back in her pajamas. The sphere was still around her neck, but her deck was back on her dresser. She sat up in bed, pouring sweat and panting ferociously. Her neck burned and her arm ached.  
  
Alyz rubbed the back of her neck tenderly, closing her eyes as the pain slowly subsided. What a nightmare! Never had Alyz dreamed of anything so vivid, so painful... and that little voice in her head, that was unusual.  
  
"Mom was right," she said, flopping back down onto her dampened sheets. "That'll be the last time I drink coffee before bed!" 


	2. Evil Math Teachers and more Rabid Britis...

"I think that's just about the strangest dream you've ever told me about, Alyz." Niya said, staring blankly at her friend. Alyz nodded, taking a large bite of her sandwich.  
  
"That's because It's the strangest dream I've ever had.," Alyz said through a mouthful of cheese and balogne. It was the day after the night of her disturbing dream, Monday, and Alyz had just relayed it to her best friend, Niya. It was lunch break.  
  
"That Yu-Gi-Oh crap you watch... it's seducing you into a state of obsessive hypnotic subconsciouness," Niya said slowly, sticking her face very near to Alyz's. She looked at her intently. "I will have to reawaken your conscious mind... You're geting sleepy... very sleepy..." Alyz shoved her friend playfully.  
  
"You stupid kid," she said. "Do you even know what 'seduce' means?"  
  
Niya laughed. "Sure I know what it means. It's what I've been trying to do to the new kid since he moved here. He's toasty, Liz... Really really toasty."  
  
"Come on, Niya! If you only focused some of your stalking powers into your homework, you probably wouldn't have a C-minus in just about every subject!" Niya crinkled her nose, showing distaste. She was never one for school, she always had something 'better to do' then study. She was completely boy-crazy, and most of the boys were just as crazy for her. She had shoulder-length, perfectly straight, gorgeous golden blonde hair that she loved to toss over her shoulder flirtatiously. Her crystalline sapphire eyes were constantly glimmering with mischief. She was very loud and obnoxious, not afraid of anything. Alyz greatly admired her friend's outgoing personality. Alyz was always the shy, uncertain one; rarely outspoken, rude, or disobedient in any way, and when it came to boys, Alyz rarely recieved a second glance, whereas Niya commonly recieved a third, or fourth, or fifth...  
  
"Well just because /you/ spend all your time poring over the dictionary doesn't mean /I/ should, too!" Niya retorted, flipping her hair in that oh- so-perfect way. Alyz punched her shoulder in mock anger.  
  
"You might learn something from the dictionary... like how to spell all those two-letter words you have troubles with!"  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
Alyz stared brainlessly at her blank sheet of paper that afternoon in Math class while Mr. Kingston droned on mechanically about combining like terms. She knew she should be taking notes, but she felt completely braindead. Not understanding a word that was said, Alyz began doodling mindlessly in her notebook.  
  
She jumped when someone beside her poked her shoulder. She spun to see the boy sitting next to her. He had short black hair and dark eyes. "Excuse me," he whispered. Alyz nodded. "My name is Ray, I'm new here." Alyz smiled. /Niya was right,/ she thought, /he is pretty hot./  
  
"I'm Alyz," she replied.  
  
Ray gestured to Mr. Kingston, "Is he always this boring?" he asked. Alyz stifled a laugh.  
  
"I'm afraid so. It's like he never stops... I never have any idea what he's talking about," she said. Ray smiled.  
  
"Raymond! Alyz! Which of these are like terms?" Mr. Kingston shouted suddenly.  
  
"Uh..." Alyz stuttered.  
  
"Negative two-"L" and sixteen-"L" Ray said. Mr. Kingston raised his eyebrows suspiciously.  
  
"Well, it seems that one of you was listening," he said. "Alyz, you can stay after school until you can recognize like terms from this list!" Mr. Kington held up a page full of algebraic numbers. Alyz groaned softly.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kingston," Ray spoke out. "I was just asking her for a pencil, I guess I distracted her. She doesn't deserve a detention."  
  
Mr. Kingston pondered over this. "Well, since you're new I'll have to assume that you are not familiar with the class rules. I'll let you two off the hook this time, but don't let it happen again!"  
  
Alyz stared at Ray. He smiled at her warmly, then resumed his notes. Alyz shrugged, then rested her head on her hand and continued to doodle.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Trudging down the busy downtown street, Alyz adjusted her backpack, which was extremely heavy with math books. "I need a break," she sighed. "I think I'll stop at Casey's on my way home."  
  
Casey, a plump old man in his late fifties, owned a collectables shop, right along Alyz' route home. She stopped there so frequently after school, Casey knew her by name as his best customer. He would often show Alyz any new shipment he got in even before he shelved it, usually at a discount price.  
  
The bells rang as Alyz pushed the door open. "Hello, Alyz!" Casey said from his post behind the counter. "Back for some new cards?" Alyz cringed. She really did want to buy some more Yu-Gi-Oh cads, but she knew that it was probably not the best thing for her to do if she wanted to get rid of her nightmares.  
  
"I'm not sure..." she said, toying with her necklace. The sphere was glowing faintly.  
  
"Oh, come on, I just got a new shipment. There's ten brand new cards in this set. You'll be the first one in town to have a pack!" Casey winked at her mischieviously. Alyz fondled the sphere, contemplating whether or not to buy a package.  
  
"Well...she said, as her curiosity mounted. I guess it couldn't hurt..." Casey smiled, then motioned for her to follow him into the back room. He removed a wad of packaging tape from a medium-sized box and began to pry the flaps open.  
  
"They just came in this morning, straight from Japan! Ahah! Now, you can take your pick out of these," Casey said. The box was brimming with booster packs. Alyz reached for one.  
  
/Not that one!/ the little voice said. Alyz pulled back in alarm. /Take the package two to the left of the first one you tried./ Alyz didn't move. She had thought that the voice was a part of her nightmare, yet here she was, listening to it in the middle of the day in Casey's shop. /You have to trust in-/  
  
"-The heart of the cards," Alyz finished. Casey was staring at her strangely. Alyz smiled weakly, then put her hand out again. This time she picked the package two to the left of the original package she had reached for. /I can't believe I'm listening to little voices inside my head.../ Alyz thought beseechingly. Casey grinned, taping the box back up and resuming his post behind the counter. Alyz followed him into the main part of the store and handed him the money for the cards. He shrugged and gave it back to her.  
  
"Consider it a gift for my best customer," Casey said with a smile.  
  
"Thank you very much," Alyz replied. She slowly opened the package, and slid out the nine cards inside. "Hmmm..." she said, looking through them. She already had the Despell card, Hibikime, Ocubeam... "Hey, it's Harpy's Lady!" Alyz exclaimed. "This is Mai's best duelling monster; maybe it will help me out, as well." Then she found Man-Eater Bug, a card that would destroy any monster on the field when flipped. She passed the next three cards, which were relatively uninteresting, then paused at the last card. It was a holographic Crystal Moon Phoenix (2500/2100), a large bird silhouetted against a glistening jewel-like moon.  
  
"It's aptly named, isn't it?" someone said behind her. Alyz turned to find no one other than Ray standing right behind her.  
  
"Were you looking over my shoulder?" she asked, somewhat mystified to find Ray in the shop. She always thought that she was the only person her age who still played 'childish' games such as Yu-Gi-Oh.  
  
"Um, yeah," Ray said, blushing. "You collect Yu-Gi-Oh cards?"  
  
Before she could answer, there was a blinding flash of silvery light from the sphere, and Alyz found herself staring at Joey instead of Ray. Joey blinked twice.  
  
"What the--? Where did you come from?"  
  
"What is it, Joey?" another voice asked. Alyz looked to see Yugi, Tea and Tristen slightly behind Joey. Alyz closed her eyes and shook her head fiercely.  
  
"This isn't happening!" she yelled. But deep down, she knew that it was happening. She was back in this world, with these people she thought were fictional, wearing these clothes that she didn't own, and Alyz knew that this wasn't a nightmare.  
  
/It was the portal.../ the voice said. /The portal brought you through.../  
  
"What's not happening?"  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"Where did she come from?"  
  
Alyz's head swam as they surrounded her. She felt so light-headed. Here she was, somehow transported into the Yu-Gi-Oh world. How could it have happened? Was it really the sphere that had brought her through, as the little voice had told her? Or was this still some strange kind of dream? /Maybe I'm hallucinating.../ Alyz thought. /Maybe I'm schizophrenic.../  
  
"Who is it?" a familiar voice repeated. Alyz eyes became focused for a moment. Someone was aproaching her. He narrowed his eyes upon reaching where she stood.  
  
"Alyz?" he asked.  
  
"Bakura!" Alyz screamed, jumping back. She backed up several steps, before her heel was caught under a tree root and she was flung backwards. Alyz let out a sob on her way down, before a large rock silenced her.  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
"Alyz?" Alyz opened her eyes slowly at the sound of her name. "I think she's awake!" someone said with a rather familiar accent. Alyz moaned, rubbing the side of her head. A large bump had grown there, and it throbbed in tune with her heartbeat.  
  
"I wonder why she ran away from you, Bakura," a female voice said.  
  
"I don't know. I don't even know how I know her! I just remember her from somewhere..." Bakura replied. Alyz sat up slowly, taking in her surroundings. She must have blacked out after hitting her head on that rock. She was still in this strange world.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
Alyz stared into Bakura's eyes. He was crouched next to her, and he looked genuinely concerned. Alyz knew this wasn't the same Bakura that had attacked her last night. Retaining eye contact, she nodded once. Bakura smiled. "I'm sorry for frightening you," he said. Alyz smiled back weakly.  
  
"Where did you come from?" a new voice asked. Alyz turned. Yugi stood next to Bakura.  
  
"Uhh..." Alyz stuttered. What should she tell him? "I don't know," she lied. They would never believe her if she said she came from some kind of parallel universe.  
  
"Uhuh," Joey said, unbelieving. "Now, seriously, where did you come from? I almost walked into you back there!" Bakura held up one hand.  
  
"I don't think she does know where she came from," he said. "This reminds me of the dream I had last night. A girl named Alyz appeared in the woods and--" Bakura stopped, closing his eyes in concentration. "And she had a millenium sphere."  
  
"What?" Tristen asked.  
  
Alyz stared at Bakura for a moment, then withdrew the sphere from her shirt. The eye was still glowing faintly. "My sphere..." she said quietly. "Maybe it really did open a portal."  
  
"What?" Tristen repeated.  
  
"A portal between worlds?" Bakura asked softly. Alyz met his gaze.  
  
"How did you know?" she whispered. His ring glowed as if in an answer.  
  
"I..." he stuttered. "I don't remember."  
  
  
  
  
  
(OOC: Now how was that for cheesy?! Ya ya i know, it's lame, but I had to have them being all surprised that she just appeared out of nowhere.)  
  
Please review and tell me what you think!  
  
~Kris 


	3. No Rabid British Guys this Chapter

(OOC: Just to let you know, the part in Rinn's POV with the ***'s is a flashback... I don't think I made it clear enough... hehe... . )  
  
  
  
"What do you mean, 'you don't remember'?!" Joey demanded. "How can you not remember how you know something? I mean, that's almost as bad as not remembering that you didn't remember something. Or not remembering that you didn't remember to remember something! Or forgetting to remember that you didn't remember to remember to remember-"  
  
"Ahem! We understand, Joey. Now on to problem number two," Tea said. "What do you mean when you say that your sphere is a portal?"  
  
Alyz shifted uncomfortably. Would they understand the truth? Probably not. Oh, well. "Well there's this little voice inside my head-"- at this point Joey caughed loudly, -"-and it told me that my necklace was the millenium sphere, and that it was some kind of portal to-"  
  
"-this world." Alyz stared at Bakura, who seemed lost in thought. "A portal into this world... that explains it."  
  
"Explains what?" Tristen asked.  
  
Bakura didn't answer him. Instead, he turned back to Alyz. "Your sphere... it's not like the other millenium items, is it?" Alyz nodded dumbly. No one seemed to understand what Bakura was talking about, until Yugi's face lit up in recognition.  
  
"It's not one of our items, is it? It's a part of a whole new set, one that exists in your world," he said. "And that means that there may be more." Bakura's expression read that Yugi's guess had been correct.  
  
"But not everyone who comes through might be as... friendly as Alyz," Tea had apparently caught the drift. "Some may even be hostile."  
  
Yugi nodded. Joey rolled his eyes. "Oh, so now we should be on the lookout for people coming through this 'portal' and attacking us or something. Is that what your saying? And all because of some little voice talking in her head?"  
  
Alyz was about to reply, but nothing happened when she moved her lips. /What the hell?/ she wondered, realizing she could not move any part of her body at all. /What's going on?/ She felt herself take a step forward, and struggled to gain control back, but nothing happened, she was still immobile.  
  
  
  
  
  
*Rinn's POV*  
  
My name is Rinn. I am... well, actually I am not. I am not anything. I am a nothing, and I am connected to the being you know as Alyz. Not connected in a physical sense, but connected in a bond that goes so much deeper than just flesh. We both occupy the same body, the same /being/. Occupying an actual body is somewhat new to me, as I have been confined within the bindings of the sphere for a millenia. It was somewhat of a surprise to me, naturally, when I was awakened after such a long period of dormancy.  
  
Though I could not see or hear or feel in the true meaning of those actions, I could sense things. I could sense when, for example, a soul or body passed near me. I would sense that, and I would ache to be one of those bodies. All I wanted was to be alive again, or dead. But not trapped within a piece of burnished silver to sit for a millenia! That's what Barombe wanted all along, but I knew that I somehow had to get back out. I had to find Barombe again, and save him from himself.  
  
***  
  
/"Rinn?" Barombe asked me. I looked up at him from my desk. Barombe was outside the garden gate, partially hidden in the deep underbrush. It was the usual place where he came to meet me, though these were unusual circomstances.  
  
"Yes, Barombe?" He seemed uncertain. "Are you here for a reason, or just to visit me?" Barombe smiled.  
  
"I always enjoy visits with you," he said. "But today I am here for a different reason."  
  
I looked at him curiously. It was a rare occasion for Barombe, visiting me at my house while father was home. At that moment I was outside, plotting the pattern for our new storage house. Mother said it was most unladylike for me to such a manly task, but father really appreciated the help, especially since he never had a son of his own. Nine daughters, but not a single son.  
  
Even after raising eight daughters of his own, he was terribly paranoid about any young men coming to the house to visit me. So I simply had Barombe come to the house while father was out. I was eighteen years old, after all, and Barombe was more of a friend of the family than a possible suitor. Of course, mother and father had no idea that he had been courting me for nearly two years already.  
  
"Really, Barombe?" I asked, "Whatever for?" Barombe grinned mischieviously, taking me by the elbow.  
  
"Come on, Rinn. I'll show you."  
  
***  
  
Now, I was in Alyz's body, mostly recovering from the shock of life. A whole day it had been already, a whole day of a whole new life! Knowing my place, however, I knew not to take advantage of this gift I had been blessed with, for if Alyz should become alarmed and take off the necklace... I am doomed to live the rest of eternity within the confines of the sphere. So far I had done nothing to communicate with her other than speaking to her mind. That is why even I was surprised when I found myself in control of her body. I had not planned to do such a thing, but I found myself taking a step forward with a leg that was not mine.  
  
I gasped, or rather, Alyz gasped. /What the hell?/ I heard the girl inquire. I could feel her struggling to gain control of her body. /What's going on?/  
  
I hesitated, feeling terribly guilty. This was not my body, after all, I was no more than a visitor in the world of her mind. But as I took a deep breath of the cool air, and took in all the sights and sounds to behold... I was not sure that I really wanted to give her body back, at least... not yet.  
  
/Alyz?/ I asked hesitantly. She did not answer, perhaps she did not know how. /Alyz, my name is Rinn. I am... I am 'the little voice within your mind'. I do not know how, but I have somehow been placed in command of your body,/ I continued. There was still no answer.  
  
"What's wrong?" Yugi asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. I jerked back in surprise. Still unused to this body, I felt my balance fail. Alyz, or any other person for that matter, would have righted themselves in a moment. But I was somewhat... out of practice at this, and found myself cascading backwards.  
  
"Eeeeyah!" I shrieked. I smiled despite the situation, I had just spoken out loud! Bakura's face flickered with alarm for a moment, then he leaned forward and grabbed my--our--wrist. My fall was halted as my arm became taught. Pain! There was a brief spasm of pain up my arm, and it renewed my senses. I hung for a moment, unsure. Then I gathered my legs under me, and slowly raised myself to my feet.  
  
"A bit clumsy today?" Tristen asked.  
  
I felt Alyz's cheeks grow warm with embarassment. /I am not clumsy!/ She screamed angrily to me. /I don't know who you are, but I will not allow you to take advantage of me like this!/ Alyz said. My guilt doubled.  
  
/I'm sorry,/ I said slowly. /It was an accident. I don't know how it happened./  
  
/Well however it did happen, change it back!/ I sighed internally. My reign had been so short... but it was not truly mine to enjoy in the first place.  
  
/All right,/ I said, feeling somehow defeated. I closed her eyes and attempted to give her back the control. /Open your eyes,/ I suggested. There was a moment in which nothing happened.  
  
"I can't! You still have control!" she said out loud. "What? I have control of my voice but not my eyes?" she said again. I couldn't see anything, but I could just imagine the expressions on the others' faces. I attempted to open her eyes. Much to my surprise, it worked. I blinked a few times just to be sure, but I still had control of her eyes. I tried to move her arms and legs, and found that the right leg still heeded to my command, also.  
  
/I don't know what to do, Alyz!/ I said frantically. Alyz did not reply, and I sensed that she shared my confusion.  
  
*Alyz's POV*  
  
  
  
Alyz stood unsurely. It was a truly strange experience, what was now occuring. It was like her leg was completely numb, or severed from her body somehow. She could not feel any part of it, and could not move it in the least. Her eyes darted back and forth, but she was not making them do so.  
  
"Help," she said, unsurely. Yugi and the others seemed almost frightened to be anywhere near her, and she couldn't really blame them. This presence in her mind... it had truly gotten out of hand. What had it said its name was? Rinn?  
  
"Help me!" Alyz repeated to no one in particular. After all, who could help her when her enemy was something inside her?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(OOC: Oops... that last sentance sounded really really really familiar, eh? *laughs at her pure Canadianism* PLEEEZE R&R!!! : D tell me what you think of my story so far!  
  
BTW I know the Bakura/Alyz thing is getting a bit out of hand so I'll do what I can to make it a little less obvious in the next chapters : P) 


	4. You should have listened to the little v...

Alyz took a deep breath. She would have to somehow find a way to gain control back. She didn't think Rinn was doing this on purpose, so Alyz decided to trust her. "Rinn," she said out loud. "Could you try again?"  
  
/I will try,/ the spirit responded. Alyz totally relaxed, not daring to move. /I think it worked!/ Rinn said, somewhat excited. Alyz opened her eyes and smiled. She was back.  
  
"Finally!" she muttered. Everyone continued to stare at her. She sighed. "Sorry, but the little voice inside my head took over half my body somehow, I was just trying to get it back."  
  
"Oh, that 'little voice' again," Joey said, rolling his eyes for the umpteenth time. Tristen snickered.  
  
Alyz felt her eyes stinging. What was wrong with her? Maybe she /was/ delusional. She could just picture herself back at Casey's. She would be walking around like a lunatic, talking to people who weren't there. What would Ray think of her?  
  
/Alyz./  
  
/What?/  
  
Rinn sounded pitiful. /I'm sorry that I have brought this upon you, and I truly hope that you believe me when I say that you are not insane. I am real, and so are the five people in front of you. All will be explained, I promise,/ she said. Alyz felt that she was sincere.  
  
"I'm sorry," Alyz said to Yugi, Tea, Tristen, Joey and Bakura. "I was daydreaming."  
  
Yugi nodded. "I think we all do that sometimes. My name is Yugi," he said, holding out his hand. Alyz smiled faintly.  
  
"Hi, Yugi. I'm Alyz," she said, accepting the handshake. Soon afterwards, Tea also introduced herself, followed by Tristen and, somewhat reluctantly, Joey. When it came to Bakura, no introduction was needed. He merely looked into her eyes, gave a small half-smile, and left. Alyz stared after him and sighed. Every time he looked at her like that, her heart skipped a beat. There was just something about him.  
  
/There /is/ something about him,/ Rinn confirmed, startling Alyz. /I see it as well./  
  
Alyz scoffed at the spirit. /You know, you should ask before just prying into someone's thoughts like that!/ she said indignantly. Rinn felt sheepish.  
  
/Sorry, hikari. I meant not to cause you embarassment. It's just that you remind me of me when I was your age. I can't help but see through your eyes and picture Barombe instead of that other boy./ Alyz detected a wisp of longing at the name.  
  
/Who was Barombe?/ Alyz asked, but immediately regretted it. She had just told the spirit off for interfering with her personal issues, and now look at what Alyz was asking! But then again, Rinn was the one who was residing in /her/ body.  
  
/Barombe was.../ Rinn said slowly, /A man I once loved. Someone who hurt me./ Alyz looked at her feet earnestly. She could tell by the tone of Rinn's 'voice' that whoever Barombe was, he /had/ caused her a great deal of pain.  
  
"Alyz," Yugi said. Alyz was pulled from her thoughts once again. "Are you a duelist?"  
  
Alyz wasn't sure how to answer that. "I suppose I am," she finally announced.  
  
"Would you be interested in a friendly duel?" Yugi inquired.  
  
"Me?" Alyz asked incredulously. "I'm not very good at dueling," she admitted. Yugi shrugged.  
  
"It will just be a friendly match," he said. "It won't be a big deal or anything."  
  
Alyz was about to refuse, but decided that she would try it out. After all, how many people got to duel with Yugi Motou? "All right," she smiled half- heartedly. "I'll give it a try."  
  
"I think there was a platform somewhere over there," Joey said, pointing northward. "This'll be great! Yugi's gonna cream her!"  
  
"Don't be so sure," Tea said, defending Alyz. "She might just surprise us all." Alyz smiled inwardly. She had at least one person on her side.  
  
They headed out in the direction Joey had pointed. Everyone seemed rather joyous and happy, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Alyz walked alone behind them, feeling nothing but homesickness. /How long am I going to be here for?/ she wondered. /What will happen when everyone finds out I'm missing?/  
  
/No one will notice you're gone. Time runs differently in your world. You are likely to come back at the same point in time that you left. I don't know when you will return from this world, but it shouldn't be very long./  
  
"There it is!" Tristen shouted. Alyz looked in front of her. The enormous grey-blue platform looked rather menacing from where she stood, adding to her growing anxiousness. Yugi nodded to her, and walked around to ascend to his side of the platform. Alyz took a deep breath and did the same. Taking her place on the smaller platform, Alyz yelled to Yugi.  
  
"Who should go first?"  
  
"I'll go, since I'm the most experienced player." Alyz nodded at him.They both withdrew their decks and shuffled for a few minutes, then drew five cards each. Yugi looked over at Alyz. "Are you ready to start?" Alyz nodded. "All right, then. For my first turn, I play the Feral Imp (1300/1400), in attack mode."  
  
Alyz nodded once more as the playful creature appeared over one square on the field. She drew, then turned to her hand, looking over each of her cards with interest. She had drawn two of her best cards; the Launcher Spider (2200/2500) and Performance of Sword (1950/1850). She knew to save those two for later, so she instead played a lower-level card. "I play the Giant Rat (1400/1450), also in attack mode," Alyz watched, somewhat bemused, as the crazy-looking rodent solidified itself in front of her. It squeaked several times, hopping from one foot to the next as it stared at the Feral Imp with its beady red eyes. "Attack the Feral Imp!" The rat leaped forward instantly, and proceeded to destroy the Feral Imp. Alyz was amazed to see Yugi's life points drop by one hundred points.  
  
The Giant Rat squealed gleefully, returning to its place on the platform. Alyz couldn't help but smile at her early fortune. Yugi smiled back, then drew his card. He placed Curse of Dragon (2000/1900) on the field, and another card. "I play Curse of Dragon in attack mode, and a magic card face- down."  
  
Alyz pulled another card reluctantly. Curse of Dragon was strong, and she needed a stronger card to counter it. The card she had drawn was Sword of Deep Seated, which would raise any monster's attack and defense by 500 points. /This would work very well with my Shield and Sword, to switch any monster's attack and defense./ she thought. /If I equipped both these cards to my Launcher Spider, he would have an attack power of 3000. She looked out on the field to see the Curse of Dragon and Giant Rat. There was no doubt that Yugi would destroy her Giant Rat the next turn.  
  
"I switch Giant Rat to defense mode," Alyz said, turning the card ninety degrees. "And I play this card face down," she added, laying down her Sword of Deep Seated. She wasn't worried about it being harmed by any trap of Yugi's, because when sent to the graveyard, the Sword was actually to be placed on top of her deck, where she would just draw it again next turn. Alyz was about to end her turn, but decided that she wasn't finished yet. "And I play the Performance of Sword (1950/1800) in attack mode, ending my turn," she added hastily. She knew that she was supposed to play monsters before magic cards, but maybe Yugi would excuse her that once.  
  
Yugi smiled and drew his card. He slipped another card face down in the slot for magic cards and nodded to her. /That was a short turn,/ Alyz thought. /I wonder what he's planning./  
  
She sighed and took another card. Her face lit up when she realized that it was the Shield and Sword. "Yes!" she exclaimed under her breath. Yugi looked amused. /Don't play your spider, Alyz./ Rinn said cautiously. /He's hiding something. Switch Performance of Sword to defense mode./  
  
Alyz snorted. /As if you know anything about duelling!/ she retorted. /Just because you're living in this body doesn't mean you can tell me what to do!/ she added angrily. In protest, she did exactly the opposite of what the spririt had told her.  
  
"I play the Launcher Spider, in attack mode! I also play the Shield and Sword, Sword of Deep Seated, and a monster card face-down." Alyz grinned as she placed the Man-Eater Bug face down. If Yugi tried to attack it, it would activate its effect and destroy any monster on the field. "Now, Launcher Spider, attack Curse of Dragon!"  
  
Yugi grinned and flipped over one of his face-down cards. "I play the Drigondies Trap, which allows me to take a turn instead of you. I also play Mind Control, and take control of your Performance of Sword!" he said. Alyz was confused. Why wouldn't he just take control of her Launcher Spider, the strongest card on her side of the playing field? "Performance of Sword, attack the Launcher Spider!" Yugi called. Alyz scoffed at him.  
  
"Performance of Sword only has an attack power of 1850 with the Shield and Sword activated. That's a lot less than Launcher Spider's attack power of 3000," she said. Yugi smiled.  
  
"I know that. When I attack your Launcher Spider, Performance of Sword is destroyed, and 1050 would be deducted from my life points," he said. Alyz looked at him unsurely. "But since the Performance of Sword is /your/ card, it is your points that are reduced." The POS leaped forward to attack the Launcher Spider, but was thrown back and disintegrated upon reaching it. "And I change the Curse of Dragon to defense mode, ending my turn.  
  
Alyz watched in dismay as her life points dropped to 950 after just one attack. "But... but... my Performance of Sword..." she stuttered. /You should have heeded my advice,/ Rinn said softly. Alyz sighed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Rinn," she said out loud. She turned to her deck, and pulled off the top card.  
  
It was the Crystal Moon Phoenix. Alyz bit her lip. It was a very strong card, with an attack power of 2500. If she equipped the Sword of Deep Seated to it, it would be as strong as her Launcher Spider had been. But then Yugi would probably find some other way to destroy it. She would just have to save it for later.  
  
"Launcher Spider, attack Yugi's Curse of Dragon!" Alyz commanded. The Launcher Spider still had an attack power of 2700, even if the Shield and Sword's effect had worn off.  
  
The Launcher Spider charged its weapons and gave a metallic screech before firing at the Curse of Dragon. The dragon dissolved quickly, and Alyz smiled faintly. She could still pull this off. Yugi nodded to her.  
  
"Come forth, Dark Magician!" He yelled. The Dark Magician, Alyz knew, was Yugi's best card, as well as his personal favorite. If she was going to defeat him, she would have to beat the magician, and fast. Yugi then played a magic card. "I play Despell, to rid your Spider of the Sword of Deep Seated," he said. The Spider shrunk slightly and his attack dwindled back to 2200. "I also play the Magical Hats, to conceal my Dark Magician. But my turn is not over yet! Attack the Launcher Spider!"  
  
"Oh, no!" Alyz yelled. Another one of her best monster cards destroyed. She placed her Launcher Spider in the graveyard, and the Sword of Deep Seated on top of her deck before pulling it off again as her draw. She sighed and placed the Crystal Moon Phoenix on the field. She attached to it the Sword of Deep Seated.  
  
Alyz was about to attack, but sighed and placed her hand over her deck. She knew that Yugi would probably find a way to defeat her anyways, and that she might as well give up. /You surrender?/ Rinn asked, surprised. Alyz nodded slowly, gathering up her cards. She descended from the platform and took a deep breath.  
  
"That was a good duel," Yugi said, reaching out his hand. Alyz forced a smile.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Bakura placed a hand on her shoulder. Alyz nearly jumped at the touch. "Don't feel bad," he said warmly. "You fared very well against Yugi. Don't forget that he's a world class duelist, and you're still a novice."  
  
Alyz gulped and nodded. He did have a point. "That last card you played, the Crystal Moon Phoenix, it was called?" Yugi asked suddenly.  
  
"Yes," Alyz answered. Yugi's face brightened. He took out his deck and began to search through it. A few minutes later, he withdrew a card and handed it over to Alyz. She examined it carefully. "Opal Moon?" she asked. Yugi nodded.  
  
"It's a special magic card made only for the Crystal Moon Phoenix," he said. "It will raise your Phoenix's attack power by 100 points for every turn it's on the field for," he explained. "That's even if it's face-down!"  
  
Alyz looked it over once more as she realized the true value of the Opal Moon. "That means that I can play it face down, and however many turns it sits there, my Phoenix will gain 100 attack points when I finally equip it with the Opal Moon?" she inquired. Yugi nodded.  
  
"Psshh," Joey was heard whispering to Tristen in the background. "Why doesn't Yugi ever give /me/ any cards like that?" 


	5. Control these urges, young Ryou!

(OOC: I seem to be getting some pleasant reviews! Thank you very much! Since no one has corrected me on anything, I will just continue the story the same way I have been. I'd greatly appreciate any tips on how I could improve anything, or just some general comments about the story. Thanks, everyone!  
  
(This is a very confusing chapter for me to write, mainly because it's mostly in Bakura's POV. I don't have any fancy names for Bakura or his Yami, so they are just Bakura (or Ryou if I get 'the urge') and Yami, although Yami may also be referred to as "spirit", "evilness", "dark one" or, *caugh* "asshole". "Yami" will always be YamiBakura. YamiYugi will always be referred to as just Yugi)  
  
::Three Days Later::  
  
  
  
Alyz stared into the sky, gazing at the stars and wondering why they looked so familiar when nothing else did. She missed her family, but was beginning to enjoy the company of her new friends. Yugi and Tea were always kind to her, and never asked her anything about where she had come from or how she came to their world. They accepted her the way she was, and Alyz was grateful for their companionship. Tristen was slightly more friendly towards her, and had even said "good morning" to her that day. Joey never stopped mocking everything that she did, but Alyz knew that he was warming up to her as well.  
  
Bakura, on the other hand, was acting very strange. He had seemed friendly enough at first, but hadn't spoken to her since the duel, which had been three days previous. Whenever Alyz tried to talk to him, he would pretend he didn't hear and disappear somewhere. He never went out of sight, however, and sometimes she would even catch him staring at her. He would always flush and look away, but Alyz would just smile to herself.  
  
  
  
:: Bakura's POV :: (2 weeks later)  
  
It has been two weeks since Alyz' duel with Yugi. She is a very strange and interesting person, I am learning. She tends to become preoccupied often, and talks to herself frequently. I wonder if the portal has something to do with it. The spirit within me, my Yami, he believes that she shares a body with the spirit of the sphere. I hope that it is not true, because the spirit is getting restless. I have been able to surpress him since the night we first met Alyz, but he fights me to regain control. He knows something about the millenium sphere, something that I don't understand. He believes it holds great powers. I sincerely hope that it doesn't, because I know what the spirit does to get what he wants. And I just couldn't let him do anything to Alyz.  
  
Alyz is special, in a way that I myself do not know. I am intrigued by her, and it seems that everything she does, every step, every breath, every motion she makes, has some sort of hidden message. I tend to watch her while she doesn't know it, Something about her makes me uneasy and bothered, and I am scared of it. When she looks and sees me staring at her, I sense that I also make her feel uneasy. She avoids being alone with me at all. I am guessing this is a grudge from the first night she came through the portal.  
  
While making soup over the campfire one night, Alyz turned to see me staring at her. I immediately averted my gaze, but not before she noticed me. Instead of ignoring me, as she usually did, she left the spoon in the bowl and came over to me. She sat down on the log beside me and just looked at me, not saying anything. I could not be sure of what she was thinking, but was certain that she would say something along the lines of "Stop staring at me, you perverted prick!"  
  
Much to my surprise, however, she said not a word. We sat in silence for a few minutes, and I felt strange. When I could not stand it any longer, I stood up and left to sit under a tree at the other end of the meadow. Alyz looked after me, and I saw her smile briefly before going back to the soup. I was confused. Most would be disturbed to find someone just staring at them, but Alyz didn't seem to mind.  
  
/She returns your affection,/ the dark one said. I tried to ignore him. He hadn't talked to me in a while, and I knew that he wanted to take over again. If I allowed him to distract me at all, he could lock me in my own mind once more, and he would be free to get the portal. I heard him laughing at me. /Foolish Hikari! If you will only let me at her, I could take her /and/ her portal; then we would both have what we desire!/ My anger swelled, but I would not allow myself to be succumbed to it. My Yami, he is powered by my anger, my hatred of him.  
  
/I will not allow you to corrupt the innocent./ I said firmly, shoving him back into the corridors of my mind. /Especially Alyz./  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
I woke up the next morning feeling terribly drowsy. Looking up, I realized that it was already late morning. How long had I slept? I sat up and rubbed my eyes before surveying the meadow. Tea and Joey were having a practice duel. Tristen was the cheerleader, complete with pompoms made of pine branches. I had to smile upon seeing him leaping up and down, yelling "J-O- E-Y, Joey's gonna win and Tea's gonna cry!"  
  
After a few rounds of that song, Tristen was cluching his stomach where Tea had punched him. "Finally," she said, "Peace and quiet!"  
  
I yawned and stretched. "So, you're finally awake!" someone said. I jumped as Alyz fell down cross-legged in front of me. Her hair had been pulled back in a loose ponytail, with stray curls hanging down all over. Her large amber eyes sparkled with amusement. She frowned, seeing me look her over. "Sorry I look so horrible," she apologized. "It's hard to pretty myself up without a mirror." She gathered up the loose strands and attempted to pull them back into the rest of her ponytail. I smiled.  
  
"You don't look horrible," I said. Alyz laughed.  
  
"Oh come on, now. Of course I look horrible! I haven't washed my hair in two weeks, and the last time I've even cleaned myself was the day before yesterday, and that creek was filthy anyways," she said.  
  
When I didn't answer, Alyz looked at me strangely, then. "Why don't you ever talk to me?" she asked. I felt my face grow warm. I began to fold up my blankets, avoiding the question. /She knows.../ the spirit taunted. /Just let me take her, Ryou... just let me-/  
  
"Is it because you're shy?" Alyz asked, breaking me from my thoughts. I was thankful for the distraction.  
  
"Um... yes," I said quietly, then proceeded to tie up the blanket and throw it into my bag. I took it and shuffled away quickly to the other side of the meadow. I threw my bag into the small pile of others, then entered the trees. I walked deep into the forest. I only stopped upon reaching a small clearing nearly a mile from our temporary camp.  
  
I found a large log, and sat down on it. I held my head in my hands and tried to clear my thoughts. But they were all swirling together... I couldn't concentrate. I was only too familiar with this transition.  
  
I found a chuckle emerging from my mouth and knew that Yami's strength was growing. I could feel his power surge within me. I had been holding him off for so long... and now I knew he had been regrouping the whole time. I had been so distracted by the current circumstances, that I had failed to acknowledge his strength. I knew he was stronger than me, that he could take me any time he wanted, but it was never for a long portion of time, as his energy would always run out after a day or two. I had never thought that he might be able to store his energy.... but indeed, that was what he had been doing; allowing /me/ full control for two weeks... only so that he would have a nice block of energy built up.  
  
"I see you have figured out my plan, foolish hikari," he said through my lips, his voice raspy and harsh. I withdrew into the chambers of my mind, but did not give up as I usually would.  
  
Here we picture the episode in which Shadi walked through the chambers of Yugi's mind. You know, with the moss-covered brick walls and dark corridors and stairways and pits and stuff... *ahem* well, picture that, except it's Ryou's mind instead of Yugi's  
  
/Do not think you have won yet, Yami!/ I yelled. He walked up to me, his eyes narrowed evilly.  
  
"I beg to differ," he snarled with a grin. He pointed at me and laughed. "You, hikari, are trapped inside your own mind!" I glared at him, but did not move. He stepped up to me, then grabbed my shoulders and threw me into the nearest room. I yelled and pushed myself against the door to keep it from closing. He forced it closed as I struggled to keep control. He laughed as the doorway narrowed to a sliver. I could see one of his eyes through the crack. The spirit laughed. "And now, now I will steal the portal!" he said, slamming the heavy door in my face. I heard the door lock and fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face. I knew it would not take Yami long to find the clearing, and I knew I was powerless to stop him.  
  
Powerless.  
  
  
  
(OOC: uh... that chapter was NOT supposed to be this short.... really! I'll try making them longer from now on :P) 


	6. Return of the Rabid British Guy!

Alyz sat by the fire, where Tea was cooking some oatmeal in an old rusty kettle. /Rinn?/ She asked.  
  
/Yes, hikari?/  
  
Alyz paused. There was a strange sensation she was feeling. A rough, fluid tingling... and it was not coming from any particular place, but was everywhere at once. The world seemed so distorted and twisted... the air felt heavy as lead, and Alyz was certain that should she reach out, she would be able to pull a chunk of it from the sky. The ground, however, felt anything but dense. It seemed as though she was sinking into a hole, although she knew that the earth beneath her should be sturdy and firm. The water in the kettle had been sitting over the fire for several minutes, but had not even broken into a boil. /Do you feel that?/  
  
Alyz felt the spirit pause also, before replying. /I do,/ she answered slowly. /I feel something evil./  
  
/What do you mean?/ Alyz asked quickly. She did not like the sound of her spirit's tone. The earth continued to pull her beneath it, and the air pounded around her head. The sky was clouded over and grey, and tiny drops of rain had started to fall, putting out the fire quickly. The water still hadn't come to a boil.  
  
"Oh come on!" she faintly heard Tea yell. "The last thing I need right now is a downpour!"  
  
Alyz felt as though the earth was drawing her into its clutches, and she could no longer sit and let it envelope her so. She cleared her throat and stood up, but almost fell over again. The earth... was rolling like a sea. Pitching back and forth and moving like stormy waves. "This isn't happening..." Alyz muttered under her breath. She took a step forward, and nearly fell over sideways. The ground was an ocean, and Alyz nothing more than a stray ship, doomed to be lost forever to its clutches. Alyz's thoughts were dimmed. Something was seriously wrong, but she couldn't think straight enough to try figuring it out.  
  
Through cloudy eyes, Alyz could see Yugi and the rest of them staring at her. She must have been a strange sight, indeed, walking along like a drunkard. She could see their mouths moving, but could not hear the words they were saying. She could hear nothing but the steady pounding of the air against her head. She staggered out of the clearing and walked through the trees until she reached an enormous boulder. Sick to her stomach, Alyz vomited onto the needle-covered forest floor, which was getting rather damp from the rain that was now pouring down steadily..  
  
/Alyz? What's wrong?/ Rinn asked. Alyz leaned against the boulder, shaking her head to rid it of the fierce pounding within. When the pounding only increased, Alyz leaned against the boulder and began to sob into it. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing, and could do nothing more than let them course down her cheeks. So much pain! It was numbing. Unable to answer her spirit's inquiry, she weeped uncontrollably into the boulder until her legs would not hold her any longer, and she collapsed into a heap at the bottom.  
  
:: Rinn's POV ::  
  
/Alyz?/ I asked. /Alyz, are you okay?/ But she could not answer me. Something was terribly wrong. Seeming how Alyz could not control herself, I decided to control her. She gave no resistance and I knew she was not in the right state of mind. I stood up and brushed off, then looked around. There was no movement, no sound, nothing. It was as if the world had ceased turning. This thought was rather frightening, considering Alyz had perceived it to be /moving/ constantly.  
  
Alyz had receded into a far off corner of her mind, giving me complete control. I stepped around the boulder, preparing to go back to the clearing. But I heard someone laugh, and stopped dead in my tracks. I turned slowly, and found myself facing someone who I still had nightmares over.  
  
***  
  
Barombe had led me to the park. There were beautiful fountains and rose bushes and miles of green fields. It was really a rather beautiful place, but nothing terribly out of the ordinary. "Where are you taking me?" I asked. Barombe just smiled and took my hand. He led me over to a specific bench, that was completely surrounded by trees. It was very private and enticingly romantic.  
  
He sat down on the bench, and I sat next to him. I giggled. "Oh, come on, Barombe! Just tell me why we're here!" I said. "I really need to go back and finish doing those plans, you know. Mother will be terribly angry if she-"  
  
Barombe stopped my mindless chatter by pressing his lips to mine. I leaned into the kiss, savouring every second. It wasn't often that we were ever alone together, and I knew to make the most of the time we did have. So it was with a great deal of regret that I finally pulled myself away from him. He smiled.  
  
"Don't worry so much!" he chided softly, running his fingers through my hair. His arm slid around my waist as I leaned onto his shoulder. "You and I both know you needed to get out of the house, Rinn."  
  
I laughed. "You know me better than I do!" I exclaimed.  
  
***  
  
:: Bakura's POV ::  
  
Yami grinned at the startled expression on Alyz' face. She had stopped dead, and I could only imagine what would happen next. /Don't do this,/ I said, knowing all too well that he wasn't listening to me at all. /Just let her go!/ He ignored me as usual, his eyes boring into the circular object around her neck.  
  
"Give me the portal," he hissed. Alyz's face was stern, and she shook her head. It was then that I noticed something different about her. From the days I had spent observing her, I knew that her eyes were a soft amber, and her hair a vivid shade of red. But her eyes... they were plainly blue. And her hair was a light brown, with only a faint trace of the fiery color that it usually was.  
  
/That's not her,/ I said, more to myself than to my Yami.  
  
/Shut up, you./ Yami glared at whoever the girl was. "Give me the portal now, or I will have to take it from you!" he yelled.  
  
"I know you are Barombe."  
  
My spirit stopped. He obviously recognized the name. "I am not."  
  
"Do you remember me?" she asked, a wicked-looking smile on her face. "I can certainly remember you. Do you remember what you did to me?" she continued. She walked up to Yami and slapped him soundly. He cringed slightly, and I felt a faint amount of his pain. "/I/ remember."  
  
Too shocked to reply, Yami just stood there. I didn't know what was going on, but at least he wasn't attempting to kill her or anything--yet. "I thought I had destroyed you," he said slowly. "I imprisoned you in the sphere, and then I--"  
  
"Went over to Melinda's house, and let the sphere roll under her bed," Alyz answered slyly. "Her mother found it a few months later and gave me to a museum. I was then stolen by a thief and sold on the black market to an old collecter of egyptian artifacts living in North America. Unfortunately for him, however, the ship I was being illegally imported on was hoarded by the authorities, and during the struggle, several boxes ended up overboard. The sphere sank to the ocean bottom. Several hundred years later, an aged fisherman got the sphere tangled in his line and reeled me up. I was then handed down from generation to generation and eventually ended up on Alyz's desk."  
  
Yami stared at her, astonished. "So you survived...." he whispered, taken back. He was rather confused, and it was only at this point that I realized he had let his guard down. I could take back control of my own body. I pushed him away, and stepped back from whoever was in Alyz's body. Yami put up very little fight, merely sat back to watch what was going to happen.  
  
"Who are you?" I asked.  
  
"My name is Rinn," she answered. "And you are no longer Barombe, I can see."  
  
"Why are you in Alyz's body?" I inquired, ignoring the statement about the dark spirit. Rinn cast her eyes down.  
  
"Alyz... is not in a proper state of mind. I decided that I should take over before she hurt herself or anyone else. I think she will be okay for now, however," she replied. Her eyes became unfocused, and the sphere glowed fiercely. There was an immediate change. Alyz's hair became it's natural flaming hue, and her amber eyes returned. Then she collapsed.  
  
I reached out and caught her before she could fall, gathering her up in my embrace. "Alyz?" I whispered. Her head moved slightly in response. I pulled her over to the boulder and sat us both against it. Alyz blinked a few times, shaking her head slightly.  
  
"Where am I?" she asked. "What's going on?"  
  
I hushed her and prepared to get up and leave. Alyz would be all right without me. "Bakura?" she asked suddenly. I paused before standing.  
  
"Yes?" I answered.  
  
She sighed and leaned on my shoulder. "Don't let me go without saying 'goodbye'," she said. I didn't reply immediately. Alyz was obviously not sane at that moment, for whatever reason that may have been, and I wasn't so sure that leaving her now would be the best thing to do. I sighed and decided not to leave.  
  
"Goodbye," I said softly. Alyz leaned over and kissed my cheek gently.  
  
"Goodbye!"  
  
And then she was gone. 


	7. Cold Pizza and Cold, uh, Coldness? Oh, a...

(OOC: I'm going to try making my chapters longer... starting here. I still haven't gotten my ten reviews, but i just had to update :P. meh. I would definitely LIKE more than THREE freaking ppl to read my story... but i guess beggars can't be choosers. Any suggestions are definitely welcome. If you have any characters or plot ideas you would like me to put in this story, just tell me and i'll be glad to add them :) )  
  
Alyz blinked several times, her eyes adjusting to the bright lights of Casey's shop. She had been sitting in the middle of a thunderstorm with Ryou only a second ago. There was an open package of duelling cards in her hand. Ray was staring at her.  
  
"Alyz?" he inquired. Alyz was too faint to answer. "You're all wet! Did you fall in a puddle or something outside? I didn't see it raining out."  
  
Alyz looked at him through glazed-over eyes. She couldn't function properly. Her head was pounding... /Rinn.../ she pleaded desperately. /I can't stand up.../  
  
Rinn expertly threw herself into control of Alyz's body, catching her balance just before she would have fainted. Alyz was out cold. Rinn smiled at Ray uncertainly. "Sorry," she said. "I kind of zoned out for a minute there."  
  
Ray laughed. "That's okay."  
  
Rinn looked at Alyz's damp hair, hanging around her face in loose ringlets. "Uh... I had to shower today in Physical Education," she said, attempting to explain her appearance. She smiled faintly.  
  
Ray looked at her strangely. "Physical Education? I haven't heard anyone say that in years," he said with a laugh. "And what's with that British accent? You sound like the queen of England or something."  
  
Rinn gulped. She couldn't help her accent. She had been speaking that way since she was born. "Sorry... I'm just practicing for the school play. I was hoping for the part of... uh... um..." Rinn stuttered. She had no idea what the school play was, but she had to think of something.  
  
"...Juliet?" Ray suggested. Rinn sighed in relief. "Yes, Juliet! I've always wanted to play the part of Juliet, so I'm really going to try to do well at this audition," she said.  
  
"Cool," Ray said. "I'm trying out, too, but I don't know what part I want. I just learned about the play this morning."  
  
Just then, another customer walked in, ringing the bell that sat over top of Casey's door. Rinn jumped at the sound. "I should probably be getting home now. Good luck at your audition," she said, remembering that Alyz would probably be expected at home soon. Without waiting for his reply, Rinn stuffed the package of cards in her pocket and dashed outside. She started walking up along the sidewalk, then stopped abruptly. She had no idea how to get to Alyz's house. "This may be a problem," she said slowly.  
  
"Is everything all right?" a voice asked from behind her. Rinn turned around slowly to face Ray, who had just exited from Casey's shop. Rinn flushed. How would she tell him that she didn't know where her own house was?  
  
"Um... no... I'm just... uh..." she stuttered quietly.  
  
"Hey, do you want to come over to my house?" Ray asked, suddenly. "My mom's not home... we can eat all the leftover pizza," he said with a wink. Rinn stared at him blankly.  
  
"Pizza?" she repeated. Ray laughed.  
  
"Oh, don't tell me you don't like cold pizza!" he exclaimed. Rinn smiled weakly. She didn't know what this 'pizza' stuff was, but it sounded toxic.  
  
"Of course I like it..." she said slowly, then added, "Who doesn't?" Reluctant as she was to be fed such strange food, it was a way that she wouldn't have to admit that she didn't know where Alyz lived.  
  
"My house is this way," Ray said, pointing East. "Come on."  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *  
  
  
  
Rinn cringed as she took a small bite out of the greasy, smelly, drippy pizza in her hand. How disgusting! She chewed it once, twice, but found herself unable to swallow it. How could these people eat such a disgusting... thing?! Rinn felt her stomach churn and made a dash for the bathroom.  
  
After a few rounds of emptying her stomach, Rinn returned to the kitchen where Ray was sitting, dumbfounded. His pizza sat untouched in front of him. "You must have got some of my mom's anchovy spinach pizza," he said. "Do you want something else to eat? I have some ravioli, if you're hungry."  
  
Rinn gulped, nodding. Hopefully this food would be somewhat more... appetizing. "I am a bit hungry," she admitted. Ray got up and went to the cupboard, then produced a small, tin cyllinder with red paper fastened to it. A logo accross the top read: "Chef Boyardee" in bold white letters. Ray dropped the can on the table in front of Rinn.  
  
"There you go. See if you can start cooking it. I'll be right back."  
  
With that, he left the room. Rinn stared first after him, then at the tin can in front of her. /This/ was food? What had the world come to? "I get trapped in a necklace by an evil spirit for a few centuries, and look what happens!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "The food must be inside," she mumbled to herself. Rinn picked up the can and shook it. There was definitely something inside. But how would she open it?  
  
Rinn looked around the room for some special device to open the can. There was nothing. She sighed and stood up, looking through the cupboards. Her eyes fell on a small saw with a serrated edge. She looked back at the can, then grabbed the saw and brought it back to the table. She turned the can on its side and began to saw at the round metal.  
  
"This isn't too hard," she said to herself. A few minutes later, the can was opened. Rinn grinned at Ray as he walked into the kitchen.  
  
Instead of smiling back at her, Ray just stared. "You just opened that can of ravioli with a saw, didn't you?" he asked. Rinn nodded, still grinning proudly. Ray whistled, shaking his head. "You people are just strange."  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*  
  
  
  
The next morning, Rinn rolled out of bed with a yawn and a stretch. She had gotten Ray to look up Alyz's address in something called a 'phone book', and his mother had given her a ride home. Alyz's own mother had been somewhat angry with Rinn for not telling her that she would be late, but there wasn't too much of a fuss made.  
  
She searched through Alyz's drawers for something to wear, but none of it seemed appropriate. She opened the closet, then, and her eyes fell upon a beautiful burgundy and black dress. She took it out of the closet and examined it more closely, then nodded to herself. This would do. She then hunted through the drawers for a pair of underwear and bra, then took these clothes down with her to the bathroom. She threw them into a pile in the corner and undressed herself, then stepped into the shower.  
  
Rinn jumped at first when the hot water began pelting down on her. It took her a while to figure out how to get it at just the right temperature. It always seemed to be too hot or too cold. After a few minutes of standing in the steady path of the warm water, she dumped a large amount of shampoo in her hair and started scrubbing, then rinsed it off and dumped some conditioner on before rinsing that off as well.  
  
Then she stood once more in the soothing water, letting it soak into every part of her cold body. Rinn soaped herself over, relishing the ability to touch her own skin, to feel a body that was her own-- more or less. Then she sighed, knowing that she would never truly be herself again. She looked at the sphere around her neck, which she had deliberately not taken off.  
  
"I wonder..." she whispered. Instead of waiting for the sphere to take her through the portal, maybe there was some way for her to guide herself through. She stared at the orb, focusing on it intently. She smiled when it began to glow faintly. But that caused her to lose her concentration, and it went back to its pale silver color. Rinn sighed and focused once more. It began to swell with faint green light, and soon it was throbbing with the color. Rinn shut her eyes and focused every ounce of strength she had on the sphere. She felt a strong gust, and all of a sudden, the water pelting down on her was frigid instead of warm. She wrapped her jacket tight around her body and looked around for anyone.  
  
There was no one in sight. The rainstorm had doubled in strength since she had last been in it, and Rinn was certain that everyone had gone for shelter. She saw a light flickering in the distance, and stumbled on against the wind for it. She was soaked from head to toe by the time she had reached the cave. The whole group was huddled around a large fire. Joey regarded her frightfully.  
  
"Where were you?!" he demanded. Rinn caughed, sensing Alyz beginning to awaken inside of her.  
  
"I went back," she said. "To the other world." Tristan rolled his eyes.  
  
"Oh, more of that other world crap, eh?" he said. Rinn glared at him.  
  
"Just leave it, Tristan," Joey said, much to Rinn's surprise. He had never stood up for them before. Joey had never had anything but negativity to say to or about Alyz or Rinn. Rinn looked at him questioningly, but he had turned to the fire and was poking the logs with a long branch.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Alyz stepped back into her body, rather surprised at the circumstances. She realized that she had been out for more than a day, and Rinn quickly filled her in with the details. She cast her eyes around the small cave, and her eyes rested on Ryou. He was looking at her solomnly, his eyes flickering with worry. Alyz stood still, waiting for more of a reaction. "Are you alright?" he finally asked. Alyz sensed a tone of worry in his voice, and nodded quickly.  
  
"I'm fine," she said softly, then went over and sat beside Yugi.  
  
"You were gone for almost an hour," he said. "We didn't know where you had gone."  
  
"Sorry," Alyz said. "The portal brought me back. There was nothing I could do."  
  
They all sat in silence once more, and Alyz sensed that she was causing somewhat of a disturbance. "I'll go get some more wood," she said, getting up and leaving.  
  
The rain had turned to hail, and it was pelting down steadily on Alyz's body. Her teeth were chattering as she searched around for some more wood. /There's some over there,/ Rinn commented. Alyz turned right and gathered up two small logs that had been left there by someone a while ago. They were soaking wet, but there was not much else to be gathered. Alyz sighed, sitting down one of the logs. She held her face in her hands. What was she going to do? Everything was so confusing. She knew that she was feeling something more than friendship towards Bakura, and she knew that he was returning her feelings. But how could it ever work out? They lived in different dimentions, after all. She didn't even know him all that well.  
  
Leaving the logs on the ground, she got up and walked aimlessly through the woods. The hail was beating endlessly at her body and she was soaked through. Alyz closed her eyes, just listening to the steady beat of the hailstones and dwelling in her own thoughts. She stopped, standing in the middle of the forest, in the middle of a storm. "What am I doing?" she asked out loud. Suprisingly, she found herself answering her own question. "I'm waiting. But what for? What am I waiting for?"  
  
There was no answer this time, just the pounding in her ears and the whistling of the wind through the trees. She waited silently, and she lost track of the time she spent. She just waited, and waited, though she did not know what for. She was completely void of any thoughts, any presence... Even Rinn, whose mind was connected with her own, seemed unnaturally calm. "What am I waiting for?" Alyz asked again, her eyes still closed.  
  
Alyz heard footsteps behind her, and felt two strong arms wrap protectively around her waist. Finally opening her eyes, Alyz turned around. "For you," she whispered, more to herself than anything. He gathered her up in his arms, an embrace that was far more intimate than friendship.  
  
"I'm here," he replied. Alyz looked up into his dark eyes. He tilted his head and gently pressed their lips together. Alyz leaned into the kiss gratefully, her arms slipping around his neck, drawing him closer to her. Ryou was more than willing to comply, clutching her to him as though he would never let her go. And if he had had it his way, he probably never would.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*Authoress's Note: *  
  
How's Ch. 7? Good? Good. I really mean it this time though, no chapter 8 until I get a minimum of 10 reviews. Come on, people, it's really not that hard. Just look below and to the left... see that little dropdown menu? It reads: "Submit Review". Click that little button beside it that says: "Go". Yes, that one. Now click it. That's it... See? it's really not that hard...  
  
Now, if we can get 4 more people to just follow my very easy, detailed instructions, then you can all find out what happens next. And we all want to find out what happens next, don't we, boys and girls?  
  
chorus: "yes, Kristy-chan! We all want to know what happens next!"  
  
You see? You should have listened to those little voices inside your head! ^.^! 


	8. The Plot Thickens, dundundun!

"Alyz?" Niya asked, prodding her friend with a pencil. "Wake up, you stupid shit!"  
  
Alyz groaned. She was resting her head on her folded arms, half-asleep in socials class. "What do you want?" she mumbled unintelligibly. She was sprawled uncomfortably over her desk, but didn't care.  
  
Niya poked her again. "We're supposed to be working, Alyz." She said, continuing to poke her friend absently. "You haven't even picked up your pencil. You /always/ do your work in class. What's up?"  
  
"I'm tired...." Alyz groaned, not even slightly changing position.  
  
Niya raised one eyebrow, looking her over doubtfully. "How can you possibly be tired? You go to bed at like, 8:30," she said. Alyz gave a loud "pshh!"  
  
"Well I stayed up a little later last night, is that all right with you?" Alyz replied snottily, raising her head to glare at her friend. She shifted to face the wall and rested her head upon her arms once more. "Jeez... All I did was sleep through one socials class and you're ready to bite my head off!"  
  
Niya snorted. "Yeah, one Socials class, one English class, one Biology class... How late /did/ you stay up last night?"  
  
Alyz frowned. What did Niya care about it? Her personal life was not any of Niya's business. She spat out a sarcastic answer. "Past your bedtime." She turned away from her friend to face the wall. "It's none of your business, anyways. Just shut up and leave me alone" Niya sighed.  
  
"Well fine, then! I was hoping you'd tell me yourself, but I know where you were last night."  
  
"-What?!" Alyz demanded, sitting up. "No, you don't," she said with alarm.  
  
"I know you went over to Ray's house yesterday," Niya said suspiciously. "Don't tell me you've finally stopped thinking boys are 'icky'."  
  
"I've never been to Ray's house!" Alyz replied angrily. "Where the hell did you get a load of shit like that? I don't need you telling me where I spend my spare time. I think I would know where I was last night a little more than you, no matter how much you enjoy thinking you know everything that goes on in my life!"  
  
Niya folded her arms. "There's no need to get pissy about it, Alyz. I wasn't spying on you, either, Ray told me that you came over last night. Why didn't you tell me that you like me?" Niya asked accusingly. Alyz blinked.  
  
"Uh... because I don't?" she asked, her voice rude and sarcastic. Niya smiled.  
  
"Oh, come on, Alyz... I can see the symptoms. I saw you two talking yesterday in Math. You guys would make such a cute couple... I know! How about I ask him if he'll go with you to the dance on Friday?" Alyz shook her head.  
  
"I can't." she said simply. Dances had never been her thing, and besides, she had better things to do than stand around while her friends were having fun. Alyz was rarely asked to dance, and if she was, it was either because someone had dared him to, or because he had no one else to dance with.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Alyz stared at her desk for a moment, searching for an excuse other than the truth. "I can't go with him because, er... because... uh... I'm... going with someone else, that's why," she said, still staring blankly at the desk. Alyz regretted the words the minute she said them. Shit, what had she gotten herself into, now?  
  
"What?!" Niya asked, astounded. Alyz sat up straight. Was it that strange for Alyz to have a date for the dance? Why did her friend sound so suprised? She looked at Niya as coolly as she could.  
  
"I said I'm going with someone else. Is that so hard to believe?" Alyz asked, attempting to sound confident. Niya stared at her for a few seconds before laughing half-heartedly.  
  
"Haha, funny, Alyz. You almost had me there," she said, elbowing her friend in jest. Alyz felt a swelling of pride within her and sat up even straighter in her desk, staring at Niya with a gaze of steel.  
  
She snorted. "I'm not joking, Niya. I know I'm not be the prettiest girl in the school, or the funniest, or the most popular, but is it really so hard for you to believe that a guy might actually be interested in me instead of you for once? Don't think you're the only one allowed to have a boyfriend."  
  
Niya gave her a questioning look, then shook her head and began piling her books into her pack. "I didn't mean it that way, Alyz. You've just never really hit it off with any guys before."  
  
The bell rang before Alyz could answer. She threw her books into her pack and zipped it up angrily. What did Niya know about it? Just because Alyz had never said anything, didn't mean she had never liked guys before. She was shy, that's all. She liked to keep things to herself. She wasn't like Niya. Niya was always flirty and pretty and... perfect. /Niya/ was never embarassed or awkward around boys... /Niya/ never had a problem with asking guys out. "Stupid whore," Alyz muttered under her breath.  
  
/Come on, Alyz... All she did was ask you if everything was okay. Don't be such an extremist!/ Rinn said. Alyz threw her bag over one shoulder and stormed out of the classroom.  
  
"You think /I'm/ an extremist?!" she hissed angrily. "I'm not the one who opened a can of ravioli with a fucking hand saw!" Heads turned at Alyz's angry outburst.  
  
/Why are you mad, Alyz?/ Rinn asked gently. Alyz opened her lock with a vengance, throwing the locker door open so that it slammed into the locker next to it. She shoved her backpack inside and closed it with an equal amount of force. She felt her hands clench into fists and stomped off to the girl's washroom. The second bell rang, but Alyz didn't turn back. She knew that she was skipping math-- the first time she had ever skipped a class-- but couldn't bring herself to leave.  
  
She strode into the bathroom and hopped up on the sinks, drawing up her legs to sit cross-legged. She cocked her head to one side, staring blankly at the far wall. Alyz felt her eyes become unfocused as her mind began to wander. She brought her hands up and rested her elbows on her knees, her chin cradled gently in her hands. She said nothing for several minutes, simply allowing herself to do nothing. Finally, she realized where she wanted to be at that moment. "Take us through, Rinn," she said quietly.  
  
/Excuse me?/ Rinn inquired. /What do you mean?/  
  
Alyz sighed. "Take me to see Bakura."  
  
Rinn hesitated, unsure. /What are you talking about? I have no control over the portal./  
  
"Yes, you do," Alyz interjected. The palms of her hands pressed against her throat, and she felt her pulse throbbing gently with her heartbeat. "I know you can take us through, now do it," she said, more loudly. She felt the spirit hesitate again.  
  
"Do it!" Alyz yelled.  
  
/All right,/ Rinn said slowly. /I'll try./  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*  
  
  
  
"Alyz?"  
  
Alyz turned around to face Joey. To her surprise, there was no one else around. "Where is everyone else?" she inquired. Joey shook his head.  
  
"I went out to get some water, and when I came back, everyone was gone." he said with a shrug. "I've been trying to find them for nearly an hour now."  
  
Alyz looked around, but there was no sign of anyone else. /There's no one here,/ she said to Rinn. /You might as well take me back./  
  
/What?!/ Rinn demanded. /Don't think you can just order me around like some kind of slave, Alyz. Why are you acting so mean all of a sudden?/ Alyz shrugged.  
  
/I only wanted to visit Ryou. He's not here, so I might as well leave./  
  
/And what about Joey? You're just going to leave him here?/  
  
Alyz sighed internally. /You are such a pain in the ass!/ Bringing herself back to reality, she looked at Joey.  
  
"I'll help you find them," she said, almost reluctantly.  
  
Joey's face lit up. "Really?" he asked, before his face returned to its former look of uncaring. "Cool."  
  
Alyz smiled. "Okay, now where would they have gone?" she asked. "Have you checked inside that cave over there?"  
  
Joey frowned. "Uh, no..." he said. "But only because it's so far away from our camp, not because I'm afraid or anything," he added quickly. Alyz laughed.  
  
"Of course not! Not big, strong, fearless Joey," she said with a wink. Joey flushed, before heading towards the cave. Alyz followed.  
  
They walked up to the entrance unsurely. Alyz could only see about ten feet inside, but knew that the cave must have extended for miles, judging by the total, pitch darkness that enveloped it. She took a few careful steps inside, examining the floor, walls, and ceiling, which extended a good fifteen feet above her head. "Wow," she said. In that one moment, all of her newlyfound courage and pride evaporated from her body. "This is really big," she said quietly. Joey crept up beside her, then walked inside.  
  
"Don't worry," he said, turning back and smiling at her warmly. "Big, strong, fearless Joey is here to protect you." Alyz smiled back, rather weakly, and gulped. What had she gotten herself into? She scurried up to walk in beside Joey, as the light beaming in from outside quickly faded, then vanished altogether.  
  
"So," Joey began, attempting to make idle conversation, "What have you been doing in... uh... your world lately?" Alyz smiled to herself.  
  
"So you're finally starting to believe me?" she asked accusingly.  
  
"Uh, well..." he said. "I've just decided that it's not worth it for me to argue with you about it. I'd rather be friends than adversaries, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Of course, Joey," Alyz said softly. They walked on for a few more minutes in silence. Alyz shivered. The cave was dank and smelly, and totally black. She looked back once at the entrance. It was a tiny pinpoint of light, so far away that it seemed too small to be anything more than a flashlight. It was cold now, and the air was stale. The floor was uneven and rocky, and Alyz tripped over it numerous times. They began to round a corner, and the entrance became completely out of sight.  
  
"This is so creepy," Alyz whispered.  
  
"And that's exactly why I know they're in here. Yugi always ends up in the weirdest, darkest, freakiest place he can find," Joey said with a chuckle.  
  
Alyz's foot hit a large rock, and she found herself cascading forwards with a shriek. She hit the ground hard, and a few pebbles fell off the wall beside her. "Are you all right?" Joey asked, offering his hand. Alyz took it and pulled herself to her feet.  
  
"I- I think so," she replied. Suddenly, her ears caught a strange sound. It was millions of squeaking voices, from within the wall. Alyz screamed again as the air of the cave was filled with the high-pitched squealing of millions of bats, flitting and darting around insanely. Alyz was pelted from all directions with tiny furry bodies. She shut her eyes tight and felt Joey embrace her securely against their unseen assailants. It was several minutes later before the bats had finally begun to calm down. One by one, they flitted over the the wall and crawled inside the tiny crevice to go back to sleep. Alyz didn't open her eyes until the squeaking had stopped completely. She was breathing hard, and her heart was pumping at an insanely fast pace.  
  
"Are they gone?" she whispered. Joey stepped back quickly, embarassed by his rush to protect Alyz.  
  
"I think so," he said back just as softly. They stood for a few more minutes, until they were completely certain that the bats were gone. Alyz's breathing had calmed down, though her heart was still racing.  
  
"We should keep going," she said, though every part of her body was screaming at her to turn around and go back.  
  
"Yeah," Joey replied. Alyz guessed that he was as scared as she was. She took a few unsure steps and shivered once more. She had no idea if she was about to walk into a wall or if she was facing backwards. She had become completely disorientated during the onslaught.  
  
"Joey?" she asked, fearfully. Did he go on without her? "Where are you?" she asked, beginning to panic.  
  
Tears sprang in her eyes when there was no immediate reply. She was shaking fiercely, and only stopped when she felt his fingers gently entwine with hers. He squeezed her hand gently and pulled her in the right direction. "I'm right here," he whispered softly. 


	9. Evil Math Teachers, Once Again

(OOC: Sorry I haven't updated in a while! . My sister has been using up all my precious internet time so I've been forced off the computer :P. I did a lot of updating today. I added this chapter to The Portal, ch. 2 to Clue and I've added my new song Sk8er Elf {hey if you are a lotr fan and like parodies, check 'em out!} Well anyways, here's chapter nine.)  
"Oh my gosh, Rinn, tell me that was a dream, or a hallucination or something," Alyz said, rubbing her temples. She was sitting on the counter in the girl's washroom at her school.  
  
/I wish I could, Alyz./  
  
"Shit."  
  
/You should probably get to class,/ Rinn said softly.  
  
"Yeah," Alyz agreed, leaping off the counter. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was not as messy as it usually was. Her curls seemed more... defined, more delicate, somehow. There was very little frizz. "Damn, why can't I look like this every day?" she wondered aloud. Her thoughts were cut short as the bell rang. She was supposed to be in Math right now-- at the other end of the school. She quickly scrambled out the door and ran down the hall, the sphere banging roughly against her chest. She dashed up the stairs and tripped when she neared the top.  
  
Alyz cried out in pain as her shin banged against the top step. She clutched her leg to her chest, her eyes shut firmly as if trying to wish the pain away. She pulled up her jeans and winced at the large bruise that was already forming around the area she had skinned. She waited until the pain had subsided slightly, then stood up and hobbled down the hall to Math. Class had been in session for several minutes already, so heads turned to watch her as she stepped cautiously into class. Mr. Kingston looked murderous as he glared at her through his thin spectacles hanging precariously from the tip of his beaklike nose. She saw Ray give her a worried look.  
  
"You're late, Alicia." Mr. Kingston spat furiously. Alyz gulped. "You may have gotten out of detention last time, but I will see that you are properly punished today."  
  
"I t-tripped up the stairs," Alyz stuttered. "I shinned my skin. I mean I skinned my shin." Mr. Kinston approached her angrily, grabbing her arm.  
  
"I don't care if you were hit by a semi-truck. You are late for class and that means you are going to stay an hour after school today," he hissed.  
  
"An hour?! That's like as long as this whole class!" Alyz protested.  
  
"If you argue with me I'll make it two hours."  
  
Alyz glared at him, feeling a swell of anger rise within her. She was usually a rather timid person, not prone to impatience or anger in the slightest. But lately she had been like a land mine, exploding at anyone who irked her in the least. She felt this feeling once more.  
  
Alyz pulled her arm out of his grasp roughly. "Let go of me!" she cried.  
  
"Don't you yell at me, young lady!"  
  
"Don't tell me what to do!"  
  
"That's it! You are staying after school for one hour today and tomorrow!" Mr. Kingston yelled. Alyz could tell that he was not used to students talking back to him.  
  
"Make me!" Alyz shouted. Mr. Kingston's face was bright red. He knew the whole class was watching and would not let himself be ordered about by a student.  
  
"Don't think I won't, Alicia! Go to the office!"  
  
"Don't call me Alicia," Alyz said quietly. She hadn't heard that name in eight years.  
  
"I will call you whatever I want!" Mr. Kingston scoffed. Alyz felt her eyes become moist.  
  
"Go to hell, you bastard!" She screamed, kicking him in the groin. She only stayed long enough to watch him collapse, then she burst into tears and ran outside as fast as her body would carry her. She kept running until she found the old park bench near the willow tree. She fell onto it and sobbed into her arms, her shoulders shaking fiercely as the hot, salty tears coursed down her cheeks.  
  
She heard someone run up behind her and turned her head away. "Take me away, Rinn." Alyz whispered.  
  
/But Ray will see you go,/ Rinn warned.  
  
"I don't care what he sees, as long as he doesn't see me like this," she said through her sobs. She felt him touch her shoulder gently. She looked up at him, but realized she was no longer in the yard of their high school. They were on a bench in the middle of a Japanese city. Alyz was too stunned to speak. Ray had come with her through the portal. And she was definitely not in the same spot she usually appeared in the Yu-Gi-Oh world.  
  
"Are you okay?" Ray asked. Alyz sniffed once and looked up at him.  
  
"We're not at school anymore," she said. "Why aren't you surprised?"  
  
Ray didn't answer. He looked up and yelled to someone that was out of Alyz's sight. "Hey, Bakura! Can you come over here for a minute?" Alyz immediately wiped the tears off her face. She had no idea how Ray knew Bakura, but she definitely couldn't let him see her like this. She hid her face when Ryou arrived.  
  
"Alyz?" he asked. Alyz didn't speak. She knew that she would probably burst out crying once more if she tried. Bakura pulled her to her feet and took her shaking hand into his own. He led her a few blocks down the street, then showed her into a small townhouse. Ray followed shortly behind.  
  
Alyz followed Bakura up the stairs and into a shabby-looking kitchen. She sat down at the table while Bakura plugged in a kettle. She assumed that this was his house. No one spoke for a few minutes, then Ryou poured the steaming hot water into three mugs and added some instant coffee.  
  
Alyz smiled weakly as she inhaled the strong scent. She hadn't had coffee for quite some time. Bakura set one mug in front of her, and one in front of Ray, eyeing him warily. Ray looked uncomfortable. "I... uh... have to go to the washroom," he said. Bakura nodded.  
  
"It's the second door to the right."  
  
Ray left. Alyz knew that he wanted to leave them alone. "What's going on?" she asked quietly. "How do you know Ray?"  
  
Bakura smiled. "You aren't the only person who visits here from another world," he said. Alyz choked on her coffee.  
  
"I'm not?"  
  
Bakura shook his head. "Ray has been here twice. Joey thought he was really going insane this time," he said. Alyz noticed that he gave a weird look when he mentioned Joey. She silently hoped that Joey hadn't said anything to Ryou about what had happened in the tunnel.  
  
"Why are we in the city all of a sudden? I thought you guys were at Duelist Kingdom," Alyz said. Bakura's face fell.  
  
"You haven't been here for a while. Yugi defeated Pegasus. He freed his grandpa, Mokuba and Kaiba. A lot has happened since then. Kaiba is hosting his Battle City tournament. Yugi and Joey are both entered in it."  
  
Alyz sipped her coffee some more, savoring the strong, creamy taste. Bakura leaned toward her. "What's wrong, Alyz?"  
  
She sighed. "It's just my Math teacher. I was late today and he spazzed at me,"  
  
"What did you say?" Ryou inquired. Alyz shrugged.  
  
"I spazzed back," she said truthfully. Bakura raised one eyebrow.  
  
"That doesn't sound like you," he said quietly. Alyz shook her head.  
  
"That's the thing; I've never talked back to a teacher before. Something's wrong with me. I'm just not myself anymore. Ever since... Ever since I found the portal," Bakura nodded. His hand moved toward hers on the table, but he stopped halfway. Alyz wished he would have taken hers. She needed his comfort.  
  
"I know how you feel," he said. Alyz saw him touch the Millenium Ring around his neck. He looked down and did not speak for a while.  
  
Alyz attempted to break the silence. "I wonder what's taking Ray so long."  
  
Bakura frowned. "Ray," he said to himself. Alyz sensed a bitter tone in his voice.  
  
"What?"  
  
Ryou looked up at her. His deep, dark eyes met hers, and she could sense them boring into her own. She was an open book to him, and she had nothing to hide. Almost nothing. She looked away briefly, afraid of what he was searching for. "Ray," he repeated. "Is he-- your.... um, is he your--" Ryou stuttered, blushing. Alyz almost laughed, but did not allow herself to when she realized how serious he was being.  
  
"My boyfriend?" she inquired. Ryou blushed deeper, nodding slightly. Alyz chuckled softly. "No. He's just a friend." Ryou smiled, then was serious again.  
  
"What about Joey?" he asked so softly that his voice was nearly inaudible. Alyz found herself blushing, though not as deeply as Ryou.  
  
"Not Joey either." Bakura looked relieved. Alyz would have laughed. /Awww... isn't he just adorable, Rinn? The way he's just sitting there being all cute and all?/ she wondered.  
  
/Um, sure, Alyz,/ Rinn said. Alyz giggled. She was always happy when she was around Ryou. Why couldn't she just live here in the Yu-Gi-Oh world and never go back home? Her life was so torn, so confusing. It was just so much easier for her to stay here with Bakura.  
  
Just then, Ray walked back into the kitchen and sat down. "I see you're feeling better, Alyz," he commented. Alyz smiled and nodded. Then she frowned.  
  
"Ryou says you've been here before," she said simply. Ray looked down, then smiled halfheartedly.  
  
"Yeah. I have."  
(OOC: How was that? Please review! PLEASE! I live on reviews, which is why I'm DEAD right now. X_X yup, that's me. Poor dead me who's dead because she gets no reviews and is therefore dead. Yup. Very dead. Definitely dead. Absolutely. Look at me, I'm dead! DEAD, i tell you!) 


	10. Battle City, plus a rather interesting f...

(Authoress' note: Sorry I took so long to update. I've been too busy writing poetry :P. Anyways, I've written this chapter about 50 different ways and I like this version the best. heh. this is definitely going to be a rather... *ahem*... interesting chapter. There are going to be flashbacks and there are going to be wierd scenes that are likely OOC. Please bear with me as I got 3 hours of sleep last night {it is currently 9:45 a.m.}. I will probably fix this chapter once I have returned to my proper state of mind, lol. Until then... welcome to the madness! bwahahahahaah... *evil maniacal laughter fading into the distance*)  
  
Alyz raised one eyebrow at Ray. "Oh, do tell," she prompted. Ray brought his hand up to his throat and withdrew a thin chain from inside his shirt. Dangling from the chain was a roughly cut ball of prismic bronze with the Millenium Eye enscribed on it in diamond. His portal was not smooth and symmetrical, like Alyz's, but was more of a polygonic shape with the sides chiselled roughly, so that it although it resembled a spherical shape, it was actually a multi-faceted polygon.  
  
"It was my great uncle's most prized possesion. We never learned where it came from. He was crazy in his old age and insisted that a faery gave it to him in exchange for one of his pieces," Ray explained. Alyz looked confused.  
  
"His 'pieces'?" she inquired.  
  
"Yeah. He was a carpenter. He used to make beautiful intarsia of animals." Alyz nodded.  
  
/Let me see the prism,/ Rinn demanded.  
  
/It's not a prism. A prism is made of clear glass to divide white light into the seven colors of the spectrum,/ Alyz said. /That necklace is about as transluscent as my thumb./  
  
/The bronze is merely a thin layer to cover the crystal underneath, to conceal it and what is trapped within it,/ explained Rinn.  
  
/How do you know?/  
  
Rinn hesitated. She did not know, herself, how she knew these things. But she definitely felt something radiating from the prism. It felt like somehow, there was another piece of her locked within it. Some part of herself that sat in there... just waiting to be freed. Rinn almost laughed upon reaching this conclusion. It wasn't a piece of herself... it was another piece of the portal.  
  
Rinn swiftly took control of Alyz's body, reaching out to touch the pendant. "Let me see the prism," she said hastily to Ray. He nodded and lifted the chain over his head, then dropped it into Rinn's outstretched hands. Running her fingers over the coarse surface, she placed one finger gently over the pupil of the diamond eye and pressed, ever so gently. The circular piece of diamond sank under the pressure. Rinn smiled.  
  
"It's definitely a portal," she announced, handing it back to Ray.  
  
"What does that mean?" he asked. Rinn shrugged.  
  
"We have two portals. That means there is only one more out there somewhere," she said. "I don't know what will happen whe we bring them all together, but I'm sure it has something to do with me."  
  
Ray looked at her differently, trying to discern something. "There you go with that accent again, and don't tell me that you're practising for the play this time."  
  
Rinn hesitated. /Should I tell him, Alyz?/ she asked.  
  
/Why not? He's going to figure it out sooner or later. Besides, he has a portal of his own. I doubt it would phaze him too much.  
  
"I am not Alyz. I was freed from the portal to live within her body," Rinn confessed. Ray's odd look didn't change.  
  
"But I thought that the portals came from Egypt. Aren't you English?" he inquired.  
  
Rinn smiled. "Yes, I am. It was interesting of you to take note of that. The portal was already centuries old when I was trapped within it." She cast a wary glance at Bakura before continuing, "I do not know the name of the dark spirit who posessed the body of my love, Barombe, but he indeed came from Egypt, hidden within the Millenium Ring. You see, that spirit has lived on in the bodies of many different people since the time he was banished by the Pharoh to the confines of the Ring. One of which was Barombe. His current host is Bakura."  
  
Ryou flushed as all eyes looked his way. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, then Ray spoke up again. "Does that mean there is another spirit inside of the prism?" he asked. Rinn was unable to answer his question.  
  
"It's a possibility."  
  
There were no more questions for the time being. Alyz retook her body and finished her coffee. "So," she said, "Where is everyone else today?"  
  
"Joey and Yugi are participating in the Battle City tournament. Tea went to watch and Tristen is at the hospital with Serenity." Alyz remembered vaguely that Serenity was Joey's sister. "We can go watch them duel, if you'd like."  
  
Alyz smiled. "Sure. That might help lighten the mood."  
  
*****  
  
Alyz cast her eyes over the huge crowd of people, searching for Joey and Yugi. Unfortunately, she was shorter than the majority of duelists there, who all seemed to be 6' males, so she mostly just saw a lot of shoulders. Ryou was only slightly taller than her, so Ray ended up being spotter.  
  
"I can't see either of them," he said, standing on his toes. Alyz rolled her eyes.  
  
"Just listen for Joey yelling at someone," she advised. "Or look for Yugi's hair. I'm surprised you haven't seen it yet."  
  
Ray grinned. "Well even /with/ that huge hair, I doubt he would pass for five feet. I bet he still fits through the kiddie doors at McDonald's." Ray said with a wink.  
  
Bakura laughed. "He can, I watched him do it last week."  
  
Ray looked over the crowd once more. "Well, I don't think they're here. Maybe we should look--oh, wait, there's Joey's big blonde head. He's over there." Ray pointed left. They pushed through the swarms of people until they found Joey arguing with a punk twice his size.  
  
"Hey, I beat you fair and square! You owe me that locator card!" Joey demanded. The punk was fuming.  
  
"How about you shut the hell up and get lost before I beat /you/," he said in a gruff, husky voice.  
  
"No way! We already duelled once and I won!" Joey protested. Alyz rolled her eyes as Joey doubled over, the punk's fist sunk firmly into his stomach.  
  
"I never said I'd beat you in a /duel/,"he said with a chuckle. Alyz ran forward and hugged Joey protectively as the punk walked away.  
  
"Asshole..." she said under her breath. Joey stood up, clutching his abdomen. His face was creased in pain but his eyes were dry. He groaned softly.  
  
"Don't you just hate guys like that?" he asked. Alyz smiled and nodded, her eyes damp once more. She kissed his forehead, but stopped when she saw Ryou out of the corner of her eye. She blushed fiercely, taking a step back from Joey as images of that dark cave ran through her mind.  
  
***** Flashback to chapter 8 *****  
  
Joey crept forward, pulling Alyz close to him as they ventured further into the cave. "I know they're in here," he commented. "Tea wanted to go exploring here earlier. They must have decided to go now and just assumed that I'd follow them in." Alyz nodded absently, but didn't listen to a word. There was a loud bang, and a shower of pebbles dropped from the roof. Alyz shrieked and threw herself into Joey's arms.  
  
They paused. There wasn't another bang, but neither was willing to let go of the other. Alyz lifted her head from his chest, looking around briefly. She sighed, about to step back, when she felt Joey's hot breath on her cheek. She flushed as he kissed her once, then brought his mouth closer to her ear and whispered, "You're so beautiful."  
  
Alyz raised one eyebrow and giggled. "You can't even see me!" she protested. Joey laughed once.  
  
"I don't have to." Then, without warning, Alyz felt his lips brush against hers gently, asking permission. She smiled and granted it to him, kissing him back deeply. She felt her back press against the wall of the cave as, for a moment, she lost almost all conscious thought, giving in to Joey's warm embrace. One hand slid slowly up her shirt, his thumb tracing delicate circles in the small of her back.  
  
Suddenly, Alyz was jerked back to reality as Yugi's voice called out. "Joey?" A bright beam of a flashlight blinked against the wall a foot away from Alyz. Joey stumbled away from her sheepishly as they were both exposed in the light of the beam. "Are you guys alright?" Yugi asked. "I wasn't sure if you would be able to find us."  
  
Joey wiped his mouth with his arm, a faint smear of Alyz's pink lip gloss visible on his skin. "Yeah. I was just looking for you, and Alyz appeared out of nowhere, so I thought she could help me find you guys," he said hastily. "You know, woman's intuition and all that." Tea, who was holding the flashlight, looked suspicious, but Yugi seemed to buy it.  
  
"Sorry for leaving without you, Joey, but we figured you would be able to find us in here," Bakura said, stepping out from behind them. Alyz felt a huge surge of guilt sweep over her. How could she do this to him? She was cheating on her first boyfriend and they weren't even going out yet! Alyz resisted the urge to hang her head in shame. The worst part is that she didn't want to take it back. She had thoroughly enjoyed her passionate moment with Joey, which doubled the guilt she was already feeling.  
  
"Um, you know what, I think I need to go back now," she said, her fingers wrapping around the sphere. "See you guys later," she said. Her eyes rested on Ryou's confused expression as she disappeared back through the portal to go back to sitting on the counter in the girl's washroom.  
  
***** End Flashback *****  
  
"Um," Alyz cleared her throat. "Congratulations on winning the duel..." she said, unable to find anything else appropriate to say at that time.  
  
/Shit./ She said to herself. /Just be calm, be cool... There's three hot guys surrounding you right now, all of which seem strangely attracted to you, Alyz. Stay cool and don't mess up again or you'll really get fucked over./  
  
/Nice choice of expression./ Rinn said, bemused.  
  
Alyz scoffed. /Well sorry then, /excuse me/, I meant to say /screwed/ over,/  
  
/Much better, thank you./  
  
"So..." Alyz said aloud, still trying to make conversation before Joey said something stupid. "I wonder where Yugi and Tea are."  
  
Joey shrugged. "Yugi hasn't really duelled much in this tournament, he's probably still checking the place out."  
  
"Then let's go find him," Bakura said. His eyes bored into the side of her head but she refused to meet his gaze, afraid of what her eyes might betray of her.  
  
(...Don't say I didn't warn you. Pretty disturbed, eh? *laugh laugh snort* EH, CANADA?! tee hee *settles down* yeah well, all canadianism aside... tell me what you think! REVIEW!) 


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